Trucking: Why VIOs and FRSC operatives must raise their game

It’s trite to say that the reputation of truckers (truck drivers and owners) is generally morbidly bad in Nigeria. But the fact is that in the infamous class of the vehicles commonly and derogatorily referred to as “king of the road” — which should appropriately have been, “killer on the road” — the cement companies’ trucks, and maybe container-ferrying ones, are mostly perceived to be the deadliest of the vehicular agents of death on our roads.

Even where one of the richest men in the world, an industrialist per excellence, a champion of charity and a man whose public relations strategists, spends hundreds of millions of naira to promote his personal and corporate brand yearly, has his name on some cement distribution trucks, the infamy of the supposedly “graduate drivers” of his fleet and the carnage that some of them cause on the roads daily (like many other loose-cannon, heavy-duty truck drivers) is the greatest drain on the gentleman’s largely positive reputation.

It must be emphatically stated at this juncture that the owners and management chieftains of many, if not all, of these cement companies are determinedly putting measures in place to forestall the accidents that their trucks get into; not only to reverse the above highlighted reputational damage but also to stop the sheer economic loss the accidents put on their trading accounts.

If perchance the media hoopla generated sometime ago by some so-called PhD truck-driver positions’ applicants (amongst other measures that the said company employed to promote safety) seemed then to a sceptic like publicity overhype, barely meant to give the impression that the known industry leader was practically trying to correct the bad situation, our — The AUTOMEDICS — experience, as consultants to one of the leading firms (specifically, Lafarge Cement, located in the “gateway” state) in the cement manufacturing and distribution business, has convinced me of the sincerity of the firms in getting the fleet of trucks hauling their goods in excellent conditions.

The management of this particular company has (since we were engaged for the purpose of vetting the condition of every truck in the fleet of each of their outsourced service providers) fully refused to load any truck we declare as unfit, until the owner repairs/maintains such truck to pass our re-examination/s.

Many of the large fleet owners are quite compliant because, as I’ve observed, they seem to have their internal systems, which help them properly maintain and keep their vehicles in good working states. The vehicles which incessantly fail the basic inspections are those belonging to small operators who boast of belonging to the “union”. They averagely own one or two articulated trucks. Inasmuch as I believe that the spread of economic opportunities that the engagement of these smallholders add to the local economies (in the two main cities — Ewekoro and Sagamu — of its operations in Ogun State) is important and must be sustained, it’s very important that these small fleet owners don’t confuse unionisation for a licence to operational or attitudinal criminality.

Some of these characters have not only threatened, and, on one occasion at the Ewekoro plant, physically assaulted me, ironically, for helping them to protect their vehicular cum entrepreneurial assets by insisting that the vehicles be in conditions where all the safety systems (brakes, tyres, suspensions, basic and warning lights, etc.) are fully functional, so that barring human error by, say, a tired or drunken driver, any vehicle will not suffer the inevitable down time, economic loss and the loss of lives and limbs that an average trailer accident respectively causes the owner of the vehicle, the cement company and the society at large.

If the cement companies can take on the additional cost of contracting specialists to help curtail avoidable accidents by the trucks bearing their wares, it’s imperative that one herewith enjoins the statutory state (vehicle inspection officers) and federal (road safety corps) institutions to be up to their briefs in making sure that they’re a bit more aggressive in their duties of inspection and safety compliance by articulated trucks whilst they ply our roads.

Diagnostic codes

P0191 – Fuel Rail Pressure Sensor Circuit Range/Performance:

The FRP sensor is a diaphragm strain gauge device. The FRP sensor measures the pressure difference between the fuel rail and atmospheric pressure. The FRP sensor nominal output varies between 0.5 and 4.5 volts, with 0.5 volts corresponding to 0 MPa (0 psi) gauge and 4.5 volts corresponding to 26 MPa (3771 psi) gauge. The sensor can read vacuums and may lower the output voltage to slightly below 0.5 volts. This condition is normal and is usually the case after several hours of cold soak before the vehicle dome light is turned on. The FP module is energised at the same time the dome light is commanded on. A disabled or malfunctioning dome light does not affect the FP module control.

The FRP sensor is located on the fuel rail, and provides a feedback signal to indicate the fuel rail pressure to the Powertrain Control Module (PCM). The PCM uses the FRP signal to command the correct injector timing and pulse width for correct fuel delivery at all speed and load conditions. The FRP sensor, along with the fuel volume regulator (part of the fuel injection pump), form a closed loop fuel pressure control system. An electrically faulted FRP sensor results in the deactivation of the fuel injection pump. Fuel pressure to injectors is then provided only by the FP module. When the fuel injection pump is de-energised and the injectors are active, the fuel rail pressure is approximately 70 kPa (10 psi) lower than FP module pressure due to the pressure drop across the fuel injection pump. Thus, if the FP module pressure is 448 kPa (65 psi), then the fuel rail pressure would be approximately 379 kPa (55 psi) if the injectors are active.

P0192 – Fuel Rail Pressure Sensor Circuit Low Input: The FRP sensor is a diaphragm strain gauge device. The FRP sensor measures the pressure difference between the fuel rail and atmospheric pressure. The FRP sensor nominal output varies between 0.5 and 4.5 volts, with 0.5 volts corresponding to 0 MPa (0 psi) gauge and 4.5 volts corresponding to 26 MPa (3771 psi) gauge. The sensor can read vacuums and may lower the output voltage to slightly below 0.5 volts. This condition is normal and is usually the case after several hours of cold soak before the vehicle dome light is turned on. The FP module is energised at the same time the dome light is commanded on. A disabled or malfunctioning dome light does not affect the FP module control.

The FRP sensor is located on the fuel rail, and provides a feedback signal to indicate the fuel rail pressure to the Powertrain Control Module (PCM). The PCM uses the FRP signal to command the correct injector timing and pulse width for correct fuel delivery at all speed and load conditions. The FRP sensor, along with the fuel volume regulator (part of the fuel injection pump), form a closed loop fuel pressure control system. An electrically faulted FRP sensor results in the deactivation of the fuel injection pump. Fuel pressure to injectors is then provided only by the FP module. When the fuel injection pump is de-energised and the injectors are active, the fuel rail pressure is approximately 70 kPa (10 psi) lower than FP module pressure due to the pressure drop across the fuel injection pump. Thus, if the FP module pressure is 448 kPa (65 psi), then the fuel rail pressure would be approximately 379 kPa (55 psi) if the injectors are active.

P0193 – Fuel Rail Pressure Sensor Circuit High Input: The FRP sensor is a diaphragm strain gauge device in which resistance changes with pressure. The electrical resistance of a strain gauge increases as pressure increases, and the resistance decreases as the pressure decreases. The varying resistance affects the voltage drop across the sensor terminals and provides electrical signal to the PCM corresponding to pressure.

Strain gauge type sensors are consider passive sensors. A passive sensor is connected to a voltage divider network so that varying the resistance of the passive sensor causes a variation in total current flow.

Voltage that is dropped across a fixed resistor in series with the sensor resistor determines the voltage signal at the PCM. This voltage signal is equal to the reference voltage minus the voltage drop across the fixed resistor.

The FRP sensor measures the pressure of the fuel near the fuel injectors. This signal is used by the PCM to adjust the fuel injector pulse width and meter fuel to each combustion cylinder.

P0194 – Fuel Rail Pressure Sensor Circuit Intermittent: The FRP sensor is a diaphragm strain gauge device in which resistance changes with pressure. The electrical resistance of a strain gauge increases as pressure increases, and the resistance decreases as the pressure decreases. The varying resistance affects the voltage drop across the sensor terminals and provides electrical signal to the PCM corresponding to pressure.

Strain gauge type sensors are consider passive sensors. A passive sensor is connected to a voltage divider network so that varying the resistance of the passive sensor causes a variation in total current flow.

Voltage that is dropped across a fixed resistor in series with the sensor resistor determines the voltage signal at the PCM. This voltage signal is equal to the reference voltage minus the voltage drop across the fixed resistor.

The FRP sensor measures the pressure of the fuel near the fuel injectors. This signal is used by the PCM to adjust the fuel injector pulse width and meter fuel to each combustion cylinder.

P0195 – Engine Oil Temperature Sensor Malfunction: The engine oil temperature sensor is used to detect the engine oil temperature. The sensor modifies a voltage signal from the ECM. The modified signal returns to the ECM as the engine oil temperature input. The sensor uses a thermistor which is sensitive to the change in temperature. The electrical resistance of the thermistor decreases as temperature increases.

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